Maryam Mousavi Sardashti; Sedigheh Rezaei Dehnavi
Abstract
Introduction: Individuals with borderline intellectual functioning (BIF) include those whose IQ is in the range of 70 to 85, lower than normal individuals and higher than those diagnosed with mental retardation. Research has shown that individuals with BIF often exhibit weaknesses in their executive ...
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Introduction: Individuals with borderline intellectual functioning (BIF) include those whose IQ is in the range of 70 to 85, lower than normal individuals and higher than those diagnosed with mental retardation. Research has shown that individuals with BIF often exhibit weaknesses in their executive functions. Executive functions are the highest level of the cognitive and metacognitive functions of the brain, which form the basis of children's social, academic, and cognitive development. This study aimed to investigate the effect of perceptual-motor training on executive functions of children with BIF.Methods: This study was quasi-experimental with a pre-test, post-test, and a control group design. Thirty students diagnosed with BIF were selected through purposive sampling and were assigned into two experimental (n=15) and control (n=15) groups. The experimental group was trained and performed perceptual-motor training for ten weeks, two 45-minute sessions per week. The data collection instrument was the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF, 2000). The data was analyzed using one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) in SPSS version 26.Results: The findings showed that perceptual-motor training leads to the improvement of executive functions, including inhibition, attention, emotional control, initiation, working memory, planning, organization, and control (P<0.01) of children with BIF.Conclusion: To enhance the executive functions of children with BIF, educational programs that include perceptual-motor training are recommended.
